But none of them had the sophistication or cultural insight of the videos currently being shared by Explosive Media.
In one video, the group depicts Trump standing with Satan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordering an attack on Iran after reviewing the “Epstein file.” In another, Iranian missiles bearing the names of everyone from Malcolm X to Jeffrey Epstein’s victims are shown being fired at the US. In a short video posted over the weekend, the group showed Trump holding a victory sign while a fire burned behind him. Many of the videos also feature catchy music, including original rap tracks in English. The group has also set up its own Spotify page where it has posted songs from the video.
The group claims it is not linked to the Iranian regime, but its pro-regime stance, coupled with the fact that it has internet access in a country that is virtually cut off from the global internet, might suggest otherwise. “Seeing as how the regime in Iran has effectively shut down the internet to everyone else, I think you have to be pretty close to the government to get access to the internet,” Ayad says.
The group told WIRED that it gained Internet access because it was viewed as a media organization, claiming more than 2.5 million followers on various “Iranian messaging channels.”
The Iranian regime has taken advantage of social media to convey its side of the conflict to non-Iranian audiences, often using a combination of AI and humor.
After Trump warned Iranians this week that they might soon be “living in hell,” the country’s embassy in Zimbabwe posted on Twitter that they had lost the keys to the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian Embassy in Tunisia posted an AI-video of Trump disembarking from Air Force One carrying a large white flag.
“All of these things are really demonstrating Iranian abilities to understand what American audiences are attracted to and also have a firm understanding of how the Internet works, particularly social media platforms and what gets the most attention, what makes people re-share content, engage with content,” Ayad says. “And they’ve done it well with the Lego video. I don’t think there’s any other piece of media that’s come out of this struggle that’s been talked about as much as the Lego video has been shared.”
This story was originally published on wired.com.
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